“From a Russian prison with love” – this is the name of a collection of eight mattresses created by Ukrainian artist Stas Volyazlovsky specifically for the largest American art fair Armory Show-2011, traditionally held in New York. Volyazlovsky’s works were presented by the contemporary art gallery “Regina” (Moscow). Did the master of “chanson art” manage to amaze the imagination of the local art consumer and is it necessary to play along with the “fair” trends?
And this was exactly the task Volyazlovsky set for himself at the Armory Show – to stand out, to surprise the Americans. Visitors to such fairs (Art Basel Miami Beach, Frieze Art Fair) receive art greetings “with love” from different places. Now they received it from a post-Soviet prison. Mattresses were chosen because they are part of prison life, which mostly takes place in the corridor. This is a small distance (about 60 cm) between the bunks. In a sense, Stas played into the Americans’ perceptions of the post-Soviet space as a giant prison, from which very few manage to get out.
This time Volyazlovsky was inspired by a thief’s tattoo. Although he denied any attempts to find traces of prison “lyrics” in his work until the last moment, it still caught up with him. No matter how you twist it, format-wise and stylistically this is a very suitable theme for chanson art. And it required deep immersion into it.
To avoid mistakes in “concepts,” he had to consult experienced people. They understood the artistic task and willingly shared information. As a result, Volyazlovsky became a major specialist in tattoos. Stas admitted that the specificity of this information disconcerted him. At some point, he even felt slightly nauseous. For example, he learned the difference between a “working p…s” and a “born one.” Or who the “chukhans” are – people who do not wash. They are associated with “dirty punks,” so the tattoo is appropriate – with earrings in the ears.
Stas was inspired and made the entire collection in a month. The most “demonstrative” piece is an “interactive” mattress with the enticing inscription “Cock mattress – lay down and p…s.” At the same time, he avoided literal reproduction of tattoos, transforming them in his own way. Comparing American prison tattoos and our tattoos, the artist proudly noted that ours are much “richer” – both in the number of images and in meaning. A whole subculture. And they have some infantile flowers, Mickey Mouses…
There was a mattress dedicated to politics: on it “met” Putin and Khodorkovsky. However, this piece was not shown in New York – allegedly, it did not fit into the overall concept of the exhibition. Initially, it was planned to recreate the “interior” of a prison cell and place mattresses on stylized bunks. Alas, this idea could not be realized either. Besides Volyazlovsky, “Regina” exhibited works by Odessa artist Sergey Zarva (whose paintings were acquired by Cindy Sherman), St. Petersburg’s Vlad Kulkov, German artists Jonathan Meese and Daniel Richter, Austrian Erwin Wurm, and the French collective Claire Fontaine. It turned out that in such a heterogeneous “environment” the installation would be “not very appropriate.”
Volyazlovsky says that at the current Armory Show there was an obvious dominance of pop art. And here suddenly a dirty spot – mattresses “aged” by time and technique – with the help of chifir (the drawing was applied with a ballpoint pen). A striking contrast to rhinestones, gloss, and neon. By the way, there was so much neon at the fair that one can safely talk about a trend. It was impossible to walk without bumping into another neon construction.
The artist’s overall impression of the exhibitions – a bunch of costume jewelry spilled out of a drawer. According to Volyazlovsky, the air simply carried the contagious stench of total commercialization. He said he knew some of our artists who, having been to art fairs, tried to adjust and make “sure bets” – things with potential value. They turned out to be bad fakes. As a result, the artist ceased to be interesting to collectors who valued him for what he represented before.
But still, there is no reason to gloat that the Armory Show is turning into a prestigious art dump and that top league players have left the fair, and now the second tier sets the tone. Despite everything, the Armory Show maintains its reputation, operating on the principle “some left, others came.” And believe me – not the worst ones came.
